Team Notes
Austin Peay (27-29, 14-12 OVC): Austin Peay finished the regular season with a 14-12 OVC record and earned the No. 3 seed in the OVC Tournament. Austin Peay made its 20th OVC Tournament appearance, including its 10th in a row. The Governors lost both of their tournament games and were eliminated by Tennessee Tech. Senior OF Rafael Hill, a second-team All-OVC selection, finished the season with a .388 batting average, which ranked fifth in the Conference. Hill, who stole 23 bases in 27 attempts in 2008, was drafted by the Texas Rangers following the season. 3B Tyler Farrar (.274, 9 HR’s, 56 RBI) was a first-team All-OVC selection with 1B Matt Kole (.300, 44 RBI) was a second-team pick. Closer Daniel Tenholder was a second-team selection; Tenholder finished the season with 11 saves, one off the OVC’s single-season record. Infielder Greg Bachman was selected to the OVC All-Freshman team.
Eastern Illinois (27-30, 13-13 OVC): Eastern Illinois won one of its final three games of the regular season and secured the No. 4 seed for the OVC Tournament. Once in the tournament (after not appearing in the 2007 event) the Panthers came alive at the right time, winning four straight games to claim its second OVC Tournament Championship (1999 was the other). The Panthers topped No. 5 Tennessee Tech 5-1, No. 2 Samford 8-4, No. 1 Jacksonville State 10-6 and No. 6 Southeast Missouri 7-4. It marked the first time that either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed had not won the tournament since those seeds began receiving first round byes. The Panthers would earn the No. 4 seed in the Lincoln Regional and play host Nebraska. EIU dropped that contest 13-10 and followed that up with a 10-inning loss to Oral Roberts. OF Brett Nommensen was a first-team All-OVC selection after finishing the year third in the OVC in batting (.402). He was also an OVC All-Tournament selection after helping the Panthers to the title. Pitcher Josh Mueller, who ranked 10th in the league in ERA (4.48) was named to the All-Freshman team. Infielder Jordan Tokarz was named MVP of the OVC Tournament for his outstanding play. Following the OVC Championship, the Panthers overall record was 27-28, as they became only the third sub-.500 record team to claim the OVC title.
Eastern Kentucky (26-27-1, 12-15 OVC): Eastern Kentucky concluded the 2008 season by winning two of three at home against Eastern Illinois, but it was not enough for the Colonels to make the six-team OVC Tournament field. That snapped a five-year stretch of making the field and marked only the fifth time in the 30-year OVC Tournament history that EKU is not in the field. Eastern finished the season in eighth place overall, a game out of sixth place. Left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich earned multiple All-American honors and was drafted in the first round (No. 25 overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies, becoming just the second OVC player ever to be selected in the first round. Friedrich finished the season with a 5-1 record and 1.43 ERA in 12 starts. That ERA ranked second nationally while hit 4.41 hits allowed her nine innings led all Division I players. Friedrich also struck out 108 total batters, which broke down to 11.9 per 9 innings, the seventh highest total nationally. He was named OVC Pitcher of the Year for his efforts during the season. Friedrich was joined on the All-OVC team by 3B Jayson Langfels (who was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American) and OF Ryan Faidley, each of who were All-Freshman selections. Tyler Barnett was also selected in the MLB Draft, going in the 21st round to the Atlanta Braves. Following the season head coach Elvis Dominguez resigned to take the head coaching job at Bradley.
Jacksonville State (37-21, 23-4 OVC): Jacksonville State claimed its second OVC Regular Season Championship (the other year was 2005) by going 23-4 overall. The 23 wins were the most by an OVC team in a single-season. The Gamecocks finished the season on a roll, winning 16-straight games to close out the campaign, a mark that stood as the longest active streak nationally entering the postseason. As the No. 1 seed for the OVC Tournament, the Gamecocks received a first-round bye and then topped Southeast Missouri State in dramatic fashion in its opener. JSU, however, dropped games to Eastern Illinois and then to Southeast Missouri and was eliminated from the event. OF Clay Whittemore was named OVC Co-Player of the Year (along with Samford’s Michael Marseco), marking the second straight year he won the award. Whittemore is only the second player in OVC history to win the award multiple times. He was also named an All-American following the season in which he hit an OVC-best .425 (which was sixth nationally). Whittemore closed the season with a 16-game hitting streak. He was joined on the All-OVC first-team by 2B Bert Smith, UTIL Steven Leach and pitchers Ben Tootle and Alex Jones. Second-team All-OVC selections from JSU included OF Todd Cunningham, DH Brian Piazza and pitcher Brian Booth. Cunningham, Jordan Beistline and Jake Sharrock were All-Freshman team selections. Cunningham was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American selection following the season.
Morehead State (18-33, 8-19 OVC): Morehead State saw its first season under head coach Jay Sorg come to an end on a positive note, as the Eagles took two of three from Southeast Missouri at home on the final weekend of the season. MSU finished the season with an 18-33 overall record and 8-19 OVC mark. In that final weekend of the season, senior OF Eric Allen capped his only year in a Morehead State uniform in style, hitting four home runs and driving in 11 runs in three games. Allen finished the year with 17 home runs (0.33/game), which was first in the OVC. Sophomore reliever Quentin Morgan appeared in two of the three games in the Southeast Missouri series, and recorded a win and save in 3.0 innings of work. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the team’s 10-8 win in game one to pick up the save (his 6th of the season) and came back on Saturday to pitch the final two innings as MSU came from behind to win in 10 innings. Morgan added two wins in 32 innings of work on the season. Michael Bottoms finished the season leading the team in batting average (.323) and first among starting pitchers in E.R.A. (5.68). Bottoms was named a second-team All-OVC selection as a utility player. Sophomore Drew Lee was second on the team with a .313 average. MSU turned 59 double plays on the season, 20 more than its opponents. 1B Marc Midden had a .992 fielding percentage on the season, committing just three errors in 381 chances. C Casey Branham and 3B Michael Fear were OVC All-Freshman Team selections.
Murray State (21-30, 12-14 OVC): Murray State played five games during the last week of the season and saw its season come to an end when it finished 12-14 in OVC play, which placed it seventh, a half game out of the sixth and final playoff spot. Murray State played three at defending champion Austin Peay to end the regular season. APSU took the first two games of the series (4-2 and 3-2 in 8 innings) but MSU closed the season on a high-note with an 11-4 victory in the season finale. Had Murray State won one other game over the weekend they would have made the OVC Tournament field. Mike Perconte added to MSU’s complete game total on the season, throwing one on the final Friday of the regular season. It marked his fourth complete game of the season and the team’s 13th in 51 games. Daniel Calhoun led the team with six complete game efforts on the season, as well as a 3.00 E.R.A. in 81 innings of work. Calhoun ranked sixth in the OVC in ERA (3.00) while Perconte was ninth (4.12). DH Wes Cunningham finished the season leading MSU in batting average (.380), a mark that ranked sixth in the Conference. He was a first-team All-OVC selection while 3B Tyler Owen was a second-team pick.
Samford (33-23, 19-7 OVC): Samford finished the regular season with a 19-7 overall record, which put them second in the Conference, 3.5 games behind regular season champion Jacksonville State. The Bulldogs received a bye in the first round of the OVC Tournament but dropped both of its games in the event (to Eastern Illinois and Tennessee Tech) and was eliminated. The story of the year for the Bulldogs was junior SS Michael Marseco, the OVC Co-Player of the Year alongside JSU’s Clay Whittemore. Marseco set the Samford single-season record for hits (93) and hit .419 on the year, which was second in the OVC and 12th nationally. Marseco also tripled twice in two games at the OVC Tournament, setting a new tournament record for triples in a tournament. During the year Marseco had a 29-game hitting streak which ranked among the longest nationally all season long. Marseco was a first-team All-OVC selection. Other Samford selections included second-teamers Bear Burnett (C), Michael Rutledge (DH) and Jonathan Stephens (SP). Stephens finished the year 7-0 with a 2.22 ERA (17th nationally) but suffered an injury late in the year and did not participate in the OVC Tournament. This marked the final year for the team in the OVC, as they will begin play in the Southern Conference in 2009.
Southeast Missouri (26-26, 12-13 OVC): Southeast Missouri lost two of its final three OVC games of the year but managed to make the OVC Tournament as the No. 5 seed. It marked the 14th consecutive year that the Redhawks had made the tournament field (every year under head coach Mark Hogan, who finished the season with 798 wins, only two away from a milestone 800th victory). The 14-year streak is the longest in OVC history (breaking the mark of 13-straight previously held by Eastern Kentucky). Southeast made the most of its tournament appearance in 2008, topping defending champion Austin Peay in the opening round before losing a heartbreaker to regular season champion Jacksonville State. But the team regrouped and topped Tennessee Tech in the loser’s bracket and the next day got revenge on Jacksonville State, winning 6-4 to advance to the Championship Round. There the Redhawks came up just short against Eastern Illinois. C Jim Klocke, 1B Matt Wagner and OF Tyrell Cummings were each named first-team All-OVC selections while 3B Trenton Moses was an All-Freshman Team choice.
Tennessee Tech (35-23-1, 13-14 OVC): Tennessee Tech ended the year with 35 victories, the most among any OVC team. In OVC play, the Golden Eagles compiled a 13-14 record and earned the No. 5 seed in the OVC Tournament. The tournament appearance for the squad was the first since 2003 season. In Paducah TTU lost its opener to Eastern Illinois but bounced back with wins over Austin Peay and Samford before bowing out to eventual runner-up Southeast Missouri. Tech had three players named to the All-OVC second-team, including 2B Matt Mihoci, SS Thomas Nelson and OF Jake New. Another player, DH/P A.J. Kirby-Jones, was named to the All-Freshman Team. Left off any team was 1B/UTIL player Chris King, who ranked fourth in the OVC in batting average (.389). New finished eighth in hitting (.354) and was drafted in the 36th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
UT Martin (10-41, 5-20 OVC): UT Martin finished the season 10-41 overall and 5-20 in Conference play. The 10 overall wins were the fewest in a season since 2001 when the team won eight. The Skyhawks struggled this year when opponents scored more than 10 runs in a game, as UT Martin was 2-25 in those contests. Senior Chris Rezabek ended his four-year UTM career with three hits in his final game. Only one Skyhawk played in every game this season - 2B Scott Gladstone. Gladstone led the team with a .316 batting average. Twins Mark (.302) and Miles Hartsfield (.300) also hit above .300 for the year. Freshman Wes Patterson led the squad with 10 home runs. He was named to the OVC All-Freshman team as well as being a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. On the mound Calen Sutton finished the season with a winning record (4-3) and 4.92 E.R.A. in 71.1 innings of work.
Notes From Around the League
Eastern Illinois Claims 2008 OVC Tournament Title: Eastern Illinois claimed its second OVC Tournament Championship (and first since 1999) with four victories in this year’s tournament held at historic Brooks Stadium in Paducah, Ky. EIU entered the event as the No. 4 seed and topped No. 5 Tennessee Tech, No. 2 Samford, No. 1 Jacksonville State and No. 6 Southeast Missouri on its way to the title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Eastern’s title marked the first time since an opening round bye was instituted for the No. 1 and 2 seeds that a non-bye team had gone on to win the tournament championship. EIU became the first No. 4 seed to win the Championship since the 2003 season (Murray State). The Panthers were tabbed the No. 4 seed in the Lincoln Regional of the NCAA Tournament and dropped close games to host Nebraska and Oral Roberts.
Jacksonville State Wins Regular Season Championship: Preseason favorite Jacksonville State proved the voters correct as they completed the OVC season with a 23-4 record and garnered the regular season title and No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament. The 23 Conference victories were the most ever by an OVC team in single-season. The Gamecocks finished the season strong, winning its last 16 games of the season, which was tied for the largest streak nationally entering the postseason.
EKU’s Friedrich Becomes Second OVC First Round MLB Draft Selection: Eastern Kentucky LHP Christian Friedrich was selected 25th overall by the Colorado Rockies in the 2008 Major League First-Year Player Draft. Friedrich became just the second OVC player to ever be selected in the first round of the draft (Drew Hall of Morehead State was selected third overall by the Cubs in 1984). Friedrich was named an All-American by several outlets after ranking second nationally in E.R.A. (1.43) and hits allowed per 9 innings (4.41). He was also eighth nationally in strikeouts (11.9 per 9 innings). He allowed only 40 hits in 81.2 innings of work in 2008.
Six Players in All Selected in 2008 MLB Draft: After Christian Friedrich was taken in the first round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft, five addition OVC players were selected. Samford’s Michael Marseco was selected in the 11th round by Milwaukee, Eastern Kentucky’s Tyler Barnett was selected in the 21st round by Atlanta, Jacksonville State’s Justin King was selected in the 30th round by Texas, Tennessee Tech’s Jake New went in the 36th round to the Dodgers and Austin Peay’s Rafael Hill was selected in the 36th round by Texas.
Friedrich and Whittemore Earn National Honors: Following the season, OVC standouts Christian Friedrich (Eastern Kentucky) and Clay Whittemore (Jacksonville State) earned several national honors. Friedrich was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball News and a first-team All-American by Ping! Baseball. Whittemore was named a second-team All-American by Ping! and both individuals were selected to the ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region first team. Friedrich, the OVC Pitcher of the Year, finished the year with a 5-1 record, 1.43 ERA and averaged 11.9 strikeouts per 9 innings. Whittemore, the OVC Co-Player of the Year, hit .425 with eight home runs and 66 RBI.
Three Named to Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Squad: Three OVC players were selected to the 2008 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team as announced by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The trio was Jacksonville State OF Todd Cunningham, Eastern Kentucky 3B Jayson Langfels and UT Martin 1B/P Wes Patterson. Cunningham, the OVC Rookie of the Year, hit .340 with 29 RBI in 57 games. Langfels, a member of the All-OVC Freshman Team, hit .304 in 56 games and added a EKU single-season record eight triples. Patterson hit .297 in 37 games, while clubbing 10 home runs and appearing in 17 games as a pitcher, netting four saves.
Two OVC Baseball Student-Athletes Named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans: Tennessee Tech’s Thomas Nelson and Eastern Illinois’ Brian Morrell were named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans as selected by CoSIDA. Nelson, who had a 4.0 GPA in biology-health sciences, was a first-team selection (one of only four infield selections nationwide) while Morrell, who has a 4.00 GPA in biological sciences, was a second-team pick (and one of only two pitchers on that team).
Success at the Major League Level: In 2008, former OVC players experienced great success at the Major League Level. Former Austin Peay Governor George Sherrill (Baltimore Orioles) was named to the American League All-Star game. Former Southeast Missouri State outfielder Justin Christian made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees. Other former OVC players in professional baseball include Jacksonville State’s Todd Jones (Detroit), Morehead State’s Jon Rauch (Washington), Austin Peay’s Jaime Walker (Baltimore), Samford’s Ehren Wassermann (Chicago White Sox), Eastern Kentucky’s Josh Anderson (Atlanta) and Jacksonville State’s Bill White (Texas).
Jacksonville State Earns OVC Team Sportsmanship Award: Following the season, Jacksonville State University was awarded the 2008 OVC Team Sportsmanship Award for Baseball. Voted on by student-athletes and coaches of their respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA.
Southeast Missouri State Makes Record 14th Straight OVC Tournament Appearance: Southeast Missouri State appeared in its 14th straight OVC Tournament in 2008, which is a new OVC record for consecutive appearances. The Redhawks have made the event in each of head coach Mark Hogan’s years on the bench. Southeast broke the previous record of 13 straight appearances by Eastern Kentucky from 1981-93. The Redhawks lost their second game of the event but bounced back to make the championship game before losing to champion Eastern Illinois.
Whittemore Named NCBWA and Ping! Baseball National Player of the Week: Jacksonville State OF Clay Whittemore was named National Player of the Week on May 5 by both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Ping! Baseball.
Whittemore raised his batting average 42 points during the week after going 15-for-21 for a .714 batting average in helping the Gamecocks extend their winning streak to seven games. He finished with four doubles, four home runs and eight runs batted in and now leads the Gamecocks with a .401 batting average. The Cullman, Ala., native posted three straight games with four hits and then had three hits in the series finale on Sunday at Morehead State.
Friedrich Named to Dick Howser Trophy Watch List: Eastern Kentucky junior pitcher Christian Friedrich has been named to the 2008 Dick Howser Trophy Watch List, given annually to college baseball’s premier player. The list, composed of 50 players, was released April 24 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association (NCBWA). A preseason All-American, Friedrich is rated by Baseball America as the sixth-best MLB prospect in college baseball. The southpaw from Evanston, Ill. has already been named a finalist for the Brooks Wallace and Roger Clemens Awards, and was voted the 2008 preseason OVC Pitcher of the Year earlier this year. The membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy based on three rounds of voting. The 2008 winner will be announced at the College World Series in Omaha on Saturday, June 14, at 10:00 a.m. CDT. The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball’s most prestigious award.
Victories Over Ranked Opponents: Southeast Missouri State scored the OVC’s first victory over a ranked opponent in 2008 with a 12-8 win over No. 6 Vanderbilt on April 2. OVC teams compiled a record of 1-8 against nationally-ranked teams this season. Last season the OVC compiled a 9-22 record against nationally-ranked foes, including a Tennessee Tech victory over No. 13 Alabama and a two-game sweep of No. 13 Mississippi State by Austin Peay.
APSU’s Cunningham Ties OVC Record For Hits in a Game: Austin Peay junior Chad Cunningham tied the OVC record for hits in a game in a 26-4 win over Morehead State on April 5. Cunningham was 6-for-7 at the plate in the Govs victory. He tied a mark that is also held by eight other players.
Coaching Milestones: UT Martin head coach Bubba Cates became the latest OVC coach to reach a career milestone when he won his 400th career game on April 26. Earlier in that week Tennessee Tech head coach Matt Bragga also hit a milestone, as he reached his 100 career victory. Also this season Jacksonville State head coach Jim Case won his 200th career game, Samford coach Casey Dunn won his 100th career game and Mark Hogan won his 400th game at Southeast Missouri. Hogan will reach another milestone next season as he needs two more wins to reach 800 overall for his career. Murray State head coach Rob McDonald needs only one win to reach 100 for his career.
Whittemore Named Candidate for Lowe’s Senior Class Award: Jacksonville State outfielder Clay Whittemore is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award, which is awarded to a senior baseball player who excels both on and off the field. Presented annually to NCAA Division I student-athletes in eight sports, the award focuses on the "Four C’s" of classroom, character, community and competition. Whittemore was named the 2008 Ohio Valley Conference pre-season Player of the Year and is also a pre-season All-American by Collegiate Baseball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched in 2001 to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who fulfill their entire athletic eligibility and pursue their degree. Since that time, Lowe’s, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, has expanded the award to include other NCAA sports including baseball. From the list of 30 nominees, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in mid-April. Those ten names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote that will include coaches, media and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at the 2008 NCAA Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Whittemore becomes the first player in Ohio Valley Conference history to be listed as one of the 30 Baseball Nominees.
Jacksonville State Picked as Preseason Favorite: In a preseason vote of league head coaches, Jacksonville State was picked as the favorite in the 10-team OVC. The Gamecocks finished second in both the regular season and tournament last season. The overall voting for the preseason poll was balanced and close, as three teams received first-place votes and only two points separated the favorite, Jacksonville State, from second-place, defending champion Austin Peay. Jacksonville State received four of the first-place votes and 76 total points, which put them ahead of the Governors, who actually received one more first-place vote (5 in total) but finished two points behind the Gamecocks in their overall points total (74). Eastern Kentucky received the other first place vote and was predicted to finish third (61 points). The Colonels were followed closely by Southeast Missouri State, who was picked fourth (59), and Samford, who was predicted to place fifth (55). Eastern Illinois was tabbed sixth (38), followed by Murray State in seventh (30), Tennessee Tech in eighth (29), Morehead State in ninth (15) and UT Martin in 10th (13).
Whittemore and Friedrich Named Preseason OVC Player/Pitcher of the Year: In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head baseball coaches Jacksonville State senior outfielder Clay Whittemore was picked as the Preseason Player of the Year while Eastern Kentucky junior left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich was named the Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Whittemore claimed the Player of the Year award at the end of last season after hitting .391 with 93 hits, 53 runs and 69 RBI in 60 games. Whittemore was named a preseason All-American by several outlets (including Collegiate Baseball News) and is one of three OVC players on the Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year Watch List. Friedrich compiled a 5-4 record and 2.09 ERA in 81.2 innings pitched last season. He also tossed three complete games, limited opponents to a .155 batting average and struck out 101 batters. He also enjoyed a successful summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League where he compiled a 4-1 record, 2.68 ERA and struck out 52 in 37.0 innings of work (7 starts). Friedrich is also on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List and has been named a preseason All-American.